Austin Texas

We spent 8 days in Austin Texas enjoying good food and music. Austin bills itself as the "live music capital of the world," and although Nashville and New Orleans may quibble with that claim, there is no doubt that Austin rocks. On any given night there are over one hundred venues staging live music. What sets Austin apart from many American music cities is the variety - you can find rock, jazz, blues, country and everything in between. We sampled jazz and blues in 3 different venues including the Elephant Room, Continental Club and Brass House. 

On Wednesday's it's "Big Band night" at the Elephant club. Professional jazz musicians from the local scene assemble and perform originals and standards. Thirteen musicians including trumpets, saxophones, trombones, piano, (real) bass and drums were jamming when we stopped in. Here is a sample: 

I was talking to a regular at the bar and he told me that most of the musicians have advanced degrees in music including many PhD's. We had a great seat right in front, and the wall of sound was fantastic. 

The other 2 clubs were equally impressive, and the restaurant scene is also very good (we especially enjoyed Uchi and Sway). Austin is a place that we definitely want to return to.